The government disbanded the NLD as a political group
because it refused to participate in last year’s elections. The government is now saying that since the
NLD has been disbanded, it needs to re-register as a social organization. The
NLD had claimed that the elections would be unfair and refused to bring
legitimacy to process by fielding candidates. Their suspicions were based on
past experience, in 1990, the NLD won a majority of the vote, but the incumbent
junta refused to give up power and cancelled the results.

The Burmese government
claims it is on the road to democracy, but its actions have not backed this
claim. Their recent harassment of the biggest pro-democracy party is yet
another indication that the new government continues to embrace policies of the
past.

PHR urges the international community to continue support for
pro-democracy movements in Burma and to maintain pressure on the Burmese
government to act in accordance with its pro-democracy words.